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Please Touch Museum, free for kids under 12 tihis Friday

FRIDAY

Friday Night Magic
Redcap’s Corner, 4040 Locust
Magic: The Gathering, that is. 7pm.

Madonna Michael Prince with DJ Deejay
The Barbary, Frankford and Delaware
Would it be a disappointment if this was a triple record release party where new material was played live by all three artists with none of the classics? 10pm, $8.

Please Touch Museum Free Friday
Please Touch Museum, 4231 N Concourse
Babysitters take note: The museum that defies children to break or damage its contents is inviting them to visit for free. Jonathan covered it at the link above. 11-6pm, free for under 12s.

SATURDAY

Moshulu Kickoff Party
Moshulu, 431 S Columbus Blvd
I am super hesitant to weekend pick a party where I could theoretically not only be kicked out but thrown overboard, but then, there aren’t any other parties going on on boats, and not everyone is me. 10pm, RSVP info at the link above, where John covered this last week.

Fishtown Shadfest
Penn Treaty Park, Delaware and Columbia
Fishtown crew celebrate the little guys they were named for. Christopher covered it at the link above. Official website with event info is here. 11am-6pm, free.

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photo courtesy of Marigold Kitchen

In my opinion, there’s no better weekend indulgence than brunch. What other meal offers you the opportunity to consume sweet and savory as well as alcoholic and caffeinated, all at the same time? Philly is awash in great brunch places (my very favorite is the lox and bagel platter at Day by Day), although I find that I often fall into a brunch rut, visiting the same spots over and over again. If you’ve got a similar problem, make sure to check out some of our new (and classic) favorites over the coming weeks!

• The Loft District’s sleek Café Lift specializes in European style delicacies like a banana and chocolate hazelnut crespelle and a pesto and tomato frittata with thick home fries. 428 N. 13th Street.
• A South Philly institution, the quirky, tiny Carman’s Country Kitchen features an exotic and unpredictable brunch lineup that might easily include alligator tail or mincemeat waffles. 1301 S. 11th Street.
• Savor the city’s only traditional Irish breakfast with rashers, beans, pudding and potato bread in the sunny rooms of Ida Mae’s Bruncherie. 2302 E. Norris Street.
• The lines out the door never lie: Sam’s Morning Glory Diner is a favorite for its homemade ketchup and creative pancake specials served with a side of hot biscuits and greasy-spoon attitude. 735 S. 10th Street.
• With an emphasis on fresh, local fare, the former University City drugstore-turned eatery RX turns out classics like eggs benedict and huevos rancheros with the freshest ingredients. 4443 Spruce Street.

More brunch bets after the jump!

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Power Hour at Morton's

Morton’s Center City location has recently introduced a “Power Hour” happy hour that runs from 5-6:30 pm, Monday through Friday at the restaurant’s bar and lounge.

The specials include select $4 beers (Sam Adams Seasonal, Budweiser and Bud Light), select $5 glasses of house wines, both red and white, and $7-$8 specialty cocktails, including the Morton’s Spritz, the Classic Cosmo and a Vodka Mortini.

For snacking, Morton’s Power Hour also features complimentary filet sandwiches.

Morton’s is located at 1411 Walnut Street (Broad and Walnut).

CLICK HERE for more information on the official Morton’s website.

As many uwishunu readers know, I love the Cantina restaurants. Although I frequent my local Cantina Los Caballitos often, I have also popped into the newer Cantina Dos Segundos in NoLibs and sampled their slightly different, yet delicious, fare. This week, Cantina Dos Segundos is having a special event to get a jump start on the upcoming summer.

Fiesta Herradura promises to be a fun, mini-carnival of finger foods and Herradura brand based cocktails to get you in the party mood. There will be tequila shots served in cucumber shot glasses and chorizo corn dogs, a variety of delicious drinks, as well as Dos Segundos’ standard dinner menu (available until 1am!). The party starts at 6PM, but you could even swing by earlier to grab a seat outside on lovely Liberties Walk.

Cantina Dos Segundos
931 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 629-0500
www.cantinadossegundos.com

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

On May 30, 2009, the Philadelphia Zoo premieres its new $17.5 million McNeil Avian Center, a unique walk-through habitat showcasing over 100 exotic birds from all over the world. Basically, a bird-enthusiast’s dream!

The exhibit is split into four distinct sections, each featuring a number of rare and colorful birds: African Savanna, Pacific Islands, Tropical Rainforest and Central American Shade Coffee Plantation. One of the coolest features is the new 4-D migration theater, “a multi-sensory experience”, which follows Otis the Oriole through his migration south to Central America for the Winter.

The Center has also placed a strong emphasis on conservation and environmental education; the Zoo actually recycled the 1916 Bird House and installed a geothermal system, which uses the Earth’s natural temperature to cool and warm the building.

Click here to find out more information.

Philadelphia just might be the most fitting location for an urban political thriller.

So author Charles D. Ellison, who grew up in the Logan section of North Philly and now lives in Washington D.C., got smart and based his upcoming novel Tantrum in our fair city.

It is the tale of a councilman searching the depths of a failed assassination plot. It is set against city unrest and machine politics, so Philly couldn’t be anything less than a major character.

You can meet Ellison on Friday, April 24 in Borders Books in the Shops at Liberty Place at 1625 Chestnut Street. He’ll be signing books from noon to 3 p.m.

Charle D. Ellison Signing @ Borders
Friday, April 24, 12 to 3 p.m

Borders Books @ Shops at Liberty Place
1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Cuba Libre in Old City is a great spot for summer-esque cocktails: a colorful interior courtyard open to the street evokes old Havana while the Mojitos are simply delicious.

Bonus: the happy hour at Cuba Libre, Monday though Friday from 5 – 7 pm.

There are select $4 Cuba Libre Rum Cocktails, as well as select $4 glasses of house wine and $4 bottled beers.

As well as the $3 Small Bites Menu:

Menu:
- Papa Rellena
Roasted garlic potato croquettes filled with beef picadillo. Sweet and spicy guajillo pepper sauce, crispy onions and Manchego crema

- Ceviche
Baja bay scallops, blackened tomatillo-truffle sauce, goat cheese confetti
Toasted flat bread

- Chicken Empanadita
Chicken, corn and Jack cheese
Baby spinach salad, goat cheese ranch dressing

- Alitas de Pollo
Jumbo chicken wings, oriental BBQ glaze and mango-ginger drizzle
Pickled carrot salad

- Tostones
Twice cooked green plantains served with garlic mojo

- Mini Guava BBQ Rib Sandwich
Shredded guava BBQ rib meat, Criollo slaw, toasted brioche roll

- Mini Turkey Frita
Turkey burger, applewood smoked bacon, avocado, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion and mustard allioli, toasted brioche roll.

- Sierra Madre Fries
Mountain of shoestring potatoes, mojo de ajo sauce

- Chicharrones de la Pollo
Crisp marinated chicken, toston bite
Fresh jalapeno pepper and spicy mojo picante

CLICK HERE for more information on the official Cuba Libre website.

Cuba Libre Restaurant [Gophila.com]

Tiny Toones Cambodia, a non-profit that mentors and educates orphaned and at-risk Cambodian youth, is sending seven breakers and an emcee down to the ‘delph.

Tuy “KK” Sobil founded the organization in 2004. He was a refugee of the Cambodian genocide born in Thailand who relocated to LA and learned to breakdance. When he was deported “home” to Phnom Penh in 2004, Sobil decided to change up and use what he’d learned stateside to help other radically displaced and underserved youth. His curriculum includes HIV/AIDS awareness, drug use prevention and rehab, English speaking, counseling, and breakdancing.

The Tiny Toones team drop their first ever performances outside of Cambodia at Khmer Art Gallery on the 25th and 26th. KK Sobil will be introducing them live via Skype, and the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia is sponsoring traditional Cambodian dancers as support.

Cambodian Dance @ Khmer Art Gallery
Saturday April 25th, Sunday April 26th

Khmer Art Gallery
319 N 11th, Philadelphia, PA
www.khmerartgallery.com

Post by Brian James Kirk

History is spooky. Perhaps it’s the cold, stone walls and drafty passages of centuries-old architecture that give us goosebumps. Maybe it’s cracked and fading sepia-toned photographs we find hidden in attic boxes and as horror film montages, that seem artificial. Or maybe it’s that we’re tourists of the past, visiting a place we can never call home.

Eastern State Penitentiary is not a place anyone would want to call home, and the memories confined there are less than inviting. Yet, the historic prison offers peculiar charms and fascinating stories.

Chamber Music Now!’s evening productions of Cellblock is appearing at the prison as April becomes May, and plans to capture the agony, solitude, and supernaturality that is Eastern State in song. Four composers have interpreted tales of the world’s first penitentiary, transforming them into avant-garde chamber ensemble arrangements featuring clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and voice.

Quakers who ran Eastern State Penitentiary believed that total isolation from family, guards and other inmates was the only path to salvation, repentance and regret. Philip Maneval’s In My Thoughts a Fire Burned considers the religious and emotional agony that must have been felt by prisoners…

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Philadelphia native Irene Fertik’s work as a documentary photographer has made her staple in major publications and assorted media outlets around the globe. Her most recent exhibit, From Hope to Hope, features the lives of Ethiopian Jews who now make up a significant percent of the recent immigration wave in Israel. This month Fertik is bringing her work back to Philly for all to see at the Gershman Y’s Open Lens Gallery. Opportunities to see her exceptional work will run from April 23rd (opening night) through August 7th.

For those of you how know little about African Jews and their migration into Israel, it’s a well worth visit to the gallery at Broad and Pine Streets. Thursday’s opening night includes a free reception with the artist between 6pm and 8pm followed by a screening of Live and Become, a film which follows the life experience of an Ethiopian boy who immigrates to Israel. Viewing of the film does cost $10, however since one of the film’s actors Shai Ferdo will be in attendance, making it worth the price. I can tell its going to be a quite the evening!

Gershman Y
401 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 446-3027
www.gershmany.org